The Limestone Coast will celebrate Australia Day in a low-key fashion tomorrow, with community events cancelled across the region due to COVID concerns.

Traditional Australia Day breakfasts held by local councils and service clubs have been scrapped as the region grapples with COVID cases.

While prestigious Australia Day honours will be presented by councils at invitation-only ceremonies, many residents will hold their own COVID-safe events at home to mark the occasion.

The latest events to be cancelled included Beachport’s popular annual Australia Day breakfast.

The decision was taken reluctantly by members of the Lions Club of Beachport and Rivoli Bay at their meeting on Thursday night.

The potential of COVID spreading at a public function attended by hundreds was the catalyst for the cancellation.

The seaside club has staged the yearly hearty and hot breakfast at Centennial Park in association with Wattle Range Council for at least 15 years.

Community Australia Day breakfasts staged by local Lions clubs in the Wattle Range Council area at Penola, Millicent and Kalangadoo have also been cancelled for COVID-related reasons.

Other last-minute cancellations include community events at Tantanoola and Southend.

The respective progress associations in the two towns reluctantly took the decisions not to proceed.